North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Kieran &/or Donna" <holycow@frontiernet.net>]

 

 

My comments in italic: 

 

*ATLANTIC QUEEN Imported to the US approx. 30 years ago, seems immune to fire blight in Eastern US. Excellent fruit, prolific QUALITY 3  graft compatible on quince

 http://www.henryleuthardtnurseries.com/fruit.htm   A more complete description below from the original nursery.  On this group someone complained that his first crop was astringent, someone else said his were always that way and were only edible dried.  Someone in Utah reported his were delicious.  note that this is quince compatible.  Tukey reports that Duchess is MUCH better grown on quince than on standard rootstock.  Consider this before you graft.  It could have been rootstock, soil, or climate that made the difference.  I noted a number of late pears that Corvallis has rated very low in quality, turns out they can't ripen them properly.  I'll be trying some of the quince compatible pears on some mayhaws I have, esp the ones that are tardy croppers, in hopes of evaluating them quicker.  Since blight tends not to hit till the trees start blooming, you could grow a nice big tree for 6 years or more only to have the scion die from blight once it starts blooming.  I'd rather kill off the susceptible varieties early. 

ATLANTIC QUEEN - this is an old French pear which we discovered in a garden close to the seashore. The tree was imported together with other varieties thirty years ago. It has thrived marvelously under the most adverse conditions. The vicinity of salt water - poor soil in which it was planted - and the intense summer heat - left the tree unaffected, whereas, a Bartlett of Anjou, or any seemingly popular variety, would have withered or grown poorly under such circumstances. In fact, some such varieties planted nearby are in secondary state because the location was not ideal for planting pear trees. Conditions usually causing Fire Blight were dominant, but no trace was found that the tree was ever affected by it at any time. The tree is prolific bearer. The fruit is firm, of immense size, weight up to 1 1/2 pounds. The skin is yellow green - the fine, melting flesh is very juicy and sweet with the most delicious aroma all it's own - by far it cannot be approached by the famed Comice (Royal Rivera) which grows only conditionally here in the East. Ripens in September.
1 year size $20.00 each - 2 year size $25.00 each - 3 year size $30.00 each

 

 

Tse Li (Ts Li) (PI 312509).--Grown in Shantung Province, Northern China for thousands of years. Fruit: large, 75 mm diam., 89 mm long, ovate-pyriform with no distinct neck, irregular, lumpy; yellow with large prominent tan lenticels; crisp, juicy, sweet, trace of tartness, distinct aroma; ripe mid-late September in Oregon, 4 weeks after Nijisseiki; stores 25 weeks at 0 C. Tree: large, upright, very early bloom, requires early blooming pollinator such as Ya Li. Cold hardy yet low chilling requirement, about 350-500 hours. - Brooks and Olmo Register of Fruit and Nut Varieties

 

Ya Li ( “Duck Pear”) (PI 506362).--Orig. unknown. Old cultivar from Northeast China. Fruit: large, 70 mm diam., 82 mm long, globular-pyriform, neck may be obscure; light green to yellow, clean, waxy, small lenticels, free of russet; white flesh is crisp, juicy, sweet, fragrant; stem curved, often fleshy and off-center; ripe mid-late September in Oregon; stores 24 weeks. Tree: large, upright, vigorous, very early bloom, requires early pollinator. Cold hardy yet low chilling requirement, about 350-500 hours. - Brooks and Olmo Register of Fruit and Nut Varieties.

Ya Li is commonly cultivated in Shansi, Hopeh, Shantung, and Honan Provinces of Northeastern China. The tree is large, vigorous, spreading, dense, and productive. The bark is smooth with dark, greenish-brown under-color overlaid with thin, shedding, grayish-white cork tissue. Petioles of young leaves may have one or more needle-like stipules on ventral side near the base of the blade that slough off as the leaves age. Ya Li cultivar is self-incompatible and self-unfruitful in most years. It requires cross-pollination to yield fruits at commercial magnitude. Such cross-pollination can be accomplished with Twentieth Century, Kikusui, Chojuro, Bartlett, Shinseiki, or Tsu Li to yield good fruit-sets.

Ayers (PI 541722). -Originated in Knoxville, Tennessee, by Brooks D. Drain, Tennessee Agriculture Experiment Station. Introduced in 1954. Garber x Anjou; tested as Tennessee 37S21. Fruit: skin golden russet with a rose tint flesh juicy, sweet; good for eating fresh and average for canning; first picking in mid-August. Tree: resistant to fire blight, pollen-sterile. - Brooks and Olmo Register of Fruit and Nut Varieties

*Burford Pear was a selection from my great-grandfather's orchard that undoubtedly, he found outstanding because of it flavor, ripening quality, tree stamina and above all resistance to fireblight and pear psylla. It likely is also a genetic dwarf, but this is currently at test at Vintage Virginia Orchards in North Garden, VA, where it is grafted on both pear stocks and quince. A 75 to 100 year old tree was my childhood backyard favorite pear tree, growing between the row of outhouses and the gas generator house that piped 'light' to the main house. This about seventeen foot tree (I measured it a number of times before cutting the top out) has extraordinarily limber branches. With a full load of from 17 to 20 bushels the unfruited limbs nearly head high would bend to the ground with mature fruit without breakage.  For nearly 60 years I enjoyed the pears canned from this tree. The ripening time for harvest is forgiving and even when fully ripe on the tree or gathered from windfalls the pears are useable for dessert, canning and pickling. A family recipe for pear-pineapple jam is especially memorable with only fresh pineapples, a luxury, used. The most significant use of the Burford pear is fresh canned. They are peeled, cored and packed in quart jars with a light syrup poured over; then processed. The color remains white. In the winter they become a favorite dessert, plain or stuffed with Aboria rice and fruits like canned figs or berries or just cheese with a few dashes of port wine. Hickory or walnuts are also good stuffings. -- Tom Burford, April 2003.

 

  *Dabney.- Originated in Knoxville, Tennessee, by Brooks D. Drain, Tennessee Agriculture Experiment Station. Introduced in 1954. Seckel x Garber; crossed in 1935; tested as Tennessee 35583. Fruit: size medium; oblong obovate, pyriform, sides unequal; skin thick, medium in toughness, smooth, waxen and dull, greenish; dots many, medium in size, russeted and conspicuous; core large; flesh yellowish-white, melting, tender, juicy, quality very good; flavor sprightly, sweet-subacid and very good dessert quality; picked late July and early August, ripening rapidly in summer temperatures; scored low for canning. Tree: small; spreading, becoming drooping with loads of fruit; comes into bearing at five years; productive; moderately resistant to fire blight. -- Brooks and Olmo Register of Fruit and Nut Varieties.   Graft compatible on quince

The sweet-subacid flavor and very good quality attracted attention as a dessert fruit. The appearance is medium to good, resembling Bartlett in coloring and shape, but the flesh is more melting. Trees of this variety in out-replicated plots came into bearing at five years and have produced good crops. Tree: small, medium in vigor, spreading, becoming drooping with loads of fruit. Top open; trunk medium thick, branches medium slender and gray brown in color; branches slender and reddish-gray, dull with medium sized, raised lenticels. Leaf buds small, short, pointed, brown-gray; leaf scars obscure. Leaves; petiole 3/4 to 1 1/4 inches long, thick, color pinkish green; Surface glabrous; blade 3 to 3 1/4 inches 2 to 2 1/4 inches wide slightly folded; mid-rib straight to slightly reflex; sides waved, outline oblong; base medium narrow, apex narrow, point long and acute; general color dark green, vein color green tinged pink; position spreading; serrations crenate, direction forward, size small somewhat irregular; Surface shiny, texture medium fine, pubescence short, fine and wooly. Flower- buds large, long, plump, pointed, and reddish-brown; flowers open medium late, 3/4 open March 18, 1953 at Knob Orchard, Blount County, Tennessee; large--1 1/4 inches across; color white with maroon stigmas; blossoms appear with leaves: Clusters 8-9 blossoms and umbel-like in form; pedicel slender, 1 inch long somewhat pubescent; pollen fertile: distribution good. Fruit: Picked in late July and early August at Knoxville, Tennessee: Size medium-2 1/2 by 2 1/4 inches wide, uniform, oblong obovate, pyriform, sides unequal: Stem 1 1/4 inches long and slender; cavity acute, shallow, medium wide and furrowed; calyx open and large; lobes separated at the base, long, narrow and acute; basin deep, wide, abrupt and deeply furrowed; skin thick, medium in toughness, smooth, waxen and dull; color greenish, dots many, medium in size, russeted and conspicuous; core large 1 by 1 1/2 inches, closed, abaxile; core-lines clasping; calyx tube long, wide and conical; carpels ovate; seeds 3/16 inches long, narrow and plump; flesh yellowish white, melting, tender an juicy; flavor sprightly, sweet-subacid and very good in dessert quality. The fruit ripens rapidly in summer temperature and has been scored low for canning. -release notice

*Eureka.  First fruited by a Mr. Dickinson of Eureka, Illinois in 1910. Introduced by A.M. Augustine of Normal, Illinois. Said to be a cross of Seckel and Kieffer. Fruit medium or smaller in size and resembles Seckel in form. Skin waxy, bright yellow in color, usually blushed, rather attractive. Flesh fairly firm, juicy, some grit at the center. Superior to many Sand Pear hybrids in dessert quality. Tree displays characteristics of both parents. About the same as Kieffer in blight resistance. -- H. Hartman, 1957. According to correspondence with A.M. Augustine, Normal, Illinois, the introducer of this pear, it was fruited in 1900 by a Mr. Dickinson of Eureka; a chance cross between Seckel and Kieffer and shows characteristics of both parents. Tree reported similar to Kieffer in leaf, habit of growth and resistance to and recovery from blight. Fruit medium, shaped like Seckel; skin delicate, waxy, bright yellow, slightly russeted, with a bright red cheek; flesh flavor of Seckel, more solid, longer keeper. -- U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York, 1921.

 

*Douglas  Raised as a Kieffer seedling by O.H. Ayer, of Lawrence, Kansas. First propagated in 1907. Believed a cross of Kieffer and Duchesse d'Angouleme. Fruit resembles Kieffer in form but inclined to be smaller in size. Skin greenish-yellow in color, reasonably free of blemish. Flesh fairly tender, quite juicy, not very gritty. Sprightly, pleasing flavor, although at times fairly acid. Superior to Kieffer in dessert quality. Midseason. Tree fairly vigorous, productive, highly blight resistant. - H. Hartman, 1957.

In regions where blight and heat make pear-growing precarious, and pears with oriental blood, as Kieffer, Garber and Le Conte, must be grown, Douglas, which belongs with the pears just named, might well be tried. It is better in flavor than any other variety of its class, The trees come in bearing remarkably early, and are as productive as those of Kieffer, though hardly as large or vigorous. The trees are inclined to overbear, in which case the fruits run small. The variety has little to recommend it, but those who grow Kieffer might put it on probation with the hope of growing a fruit passably fair for dessert. Douglas is a seedling of Kieffer crossed, it is believed, with Duchesse d'Angouleme by O. H. Ayer, Lawrence, Kansas, about 1897. Tree medium in size and vigor, upright, very produc-tive; trunk slender, smooth ; branches slender, dull brownish-red. Leaves 3 1/4 inches long, 1 1/2 inches wide, thick ; apex taper-pointed ; margin glandless, finely and shallowly serrate; petiole 1 5/8 inches long. Flowers 1 1/4 inches across, white or occasionally with a faint tinge of pink, 11 or 12 buds in a cluster. Fruit matures in October; large, 3 1/4 inches long, 2 3/4 inches wide, obovate-pyriform, tapering at both ends like the Kieffer; stem 1 5/8 inches long, slender; cavity deep, narrow, compressed, often lipped; calyx small, partly open; basin furrowed; skin thick, tough; color pale yellow, heavily dotted arid sometimes flecked with russet dots numerous, small, light russet or greenish; flesh tinged with yellow, firm but tender, granular, very juicy, sweet yet with an invigorating flavor; quality good; core closed, axile; calyx tube short, wide; seeds long, plump, acute. -- U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York, 1921.  

 Hoskins  Developed in: Tennessee,  introduced in 1954
Blight resistant, first winter pear suitable for the Southern States  Seckel x Late Faulkner

 

*Luscious (PI 541322).-Originated in Brookings, South Dakota, by Ronald M. Peterson, Agriculture Experiment Station. Introduced in 1973. SD E31 x Ewart; cross made in 1954, selected in 1967, tested as South Dakota 67SIl. Fruit: size medium; pyriform. with broad neck; skin thick, tender, attractive rich yellow with occasional small scattered brown russeted areas, sometimes with a pink blush; flesh light yellow, firm, fine texture, melting, very juicy, flavor similar to Bartlett, quality good; ripens 25 Sept. at Brookings; recommended as a dessert variety. Tree: size medium; broad-oval; vigorous; moderately productive and moderately hardy at Brookings; shows more tolerance to fire blight than most varieties, adapted to parts of the northern Great Plains; glossy, green foliate turns red in the fall. - Brooks and Olmo Register of Fruit and Nut Varieties   Cold hardy; successfully fruited in Anchorage, Alaska. -- Paul Lariviere, 2006

 

 

Magness (PI 541299).-Originated in Beltsville, Maryland, by U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. Introduced for trial in 1960. Released in 1968 by Howard J. Brooks. Seckel seedling x Comice; tested as US 3866-E. Fruit: size medium; oval; skin lightly covered with russet, relatively tough, somewhat resistant to insect puncture and decay; flesh soft, very juicy, almost free of grit cells, flavor sweet, highly perfumed, aromatic; ripens at Beltsville about I Sept., being a week later than Bartlett; ripens for prime eating in about 10 days when held at 70F; can be held in cold storage up to 3 months, then ripens with good quality. Tree: very vigorous and spreading for a pear; original tree and first trees propagated from it have some thorns, which may be expected to decrease with additional repropagations; begins bearing at about 6 years; early fruiting mainly on medium long terminals; entirely pollen-sterile, but sets well with all varieties that have been tested; very resistant to fire blight. Recommended for general trial because of high degree of blight resistance and high quality of fruit. Named in honor of John R. Magness who retired in 1959 as chief of the fruit and nut crops section at U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Center, in Beltsville, Maryland. - Brooks and Olmo Register of Fruit and Nut Varieties  Graft compatible on quince  this is a great pear

*Manning-Miller (PI 541480).-Originated in Potsdam, N.Y., on farm of Samuel Miller, but previously owned by the Manning family. Introduced in 1974 by St. Lawrence Nurseries, Heuvelton, N.Y. Parentage unknown, believed to have originated from seed sentby Robert Manning of Massachusetts. Fruit: 3 1/2 inches long x 3 inches wide; pyriform; skin smooth, green to yellow, no russeting or blush; flesh white, smooth, sweet, juicy, flavor good; ripens 1-7 Sept. in New York. Tree: medium-large; vigorous; hardy, withstanding -40 F; annual bearer, shows tolerance to fire blight and scab. - Brooks and Olmo Register of Fruit and Nut Varieties

 

*Mericourt (PI 541345).-Originated in Clarksville, Tennessee, by Tennessee Agriculture Experiment Station. at Mericourt Experiment Station., Clarksville. Introduced in 1966. Seckel x Late Faulkner. Late Faulkner is a chance seedling with fruit characteristics similar to those of Keiffer. Cross made in 1938; first fruited in 1947; tested as Tenn, 38S63. Fruit: 2 3/4 x 2 3/8 inches in diam.; short pyriform, necked; skin green or greenish-yellow, occasionally blushed with dark red, dull, waxy in texture, smooth; dots small and brownish; flesh creamy-white, buttery, almost completely lacking in stone cells, abundantly juicy, flavor sprightly subacid, sweet, quality excellent; stem short, 3/4 inch long, moderately thick, well attached in deep, abrupt basin; basin cavity shallow, acute and medium-broad; core very small; calyx open and medium; ripens 25 Aug.-9 Sept. at Highland Rim Experiment Station., Springfield, Tennessee; recommended for fresh dessert and canning; when canned tends to soften at edges of slices. Tree: vigorous; hardy, withstanding temperatures from a low of -23F to 70s during month of January and -7F to above 75F during February; tolerant to fire blight and leaf spot. - Brooks and Olmo Register of Fruit and Nut Varieties  Probably a light cropper

*Mooers:  1954. From: Tennessee.  Fruit large, blight resistant. Late fall cultivar developed for the Southern States.  Duchesse D'Angouleme x Late Faulkner  Self sterile and res leaf blight

Richard Peters (PI 541715).-Originated in State College, Pa., by E.L. Nixon, Pennsylvania Agriculture Experiment Station. Introduced in 1927. Probably an open-pollinated seedling of Kieffer; selected in 1924. Fruit: quality said to be better than Bartlett, which it resembles; ripens early. Tree: practically immune to fire blight; vigorous; self-unfruitful, productive when properly cross-pollinated. Named in honor of Richard Peters, founder and former president of Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture. - Brooks and Olmo Register of Fruit and Nut Varieties.   Originated at Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania. Introduced commercially in 1927. Said to be an open pollinated seedling of Kieffer. Fruit medium in size, more or less pyriform in shape with slender neck. Skin greenish-yellow in color, some dots, occasionally blushed. Flesh juicy, medium fine, more or less buttery. Superior to most Sand Pear hybrids in dessert quality. -- H. Hartman, 1957.

Sure Crop (PI 541354).-Originated in Bentonville, Arkansas., by Ben Davis, Ozark Nursery Company, Tahlequah, Okla. Introduced in 1930. Chance seedling of unknown parentage; selected in 1917; one of Davis' close friends, Dr. Cotton of Bentonville, wasriding on the railroad at the turn of the century; he ate a pear, put the seeds of this pear in his pocket, and later planted them; this variety is the result. Fruit: large; resembles Bartlett. Tree: annual bearer; blooms late; more resistant to fireblight than many other varieties. - Brooks and Olmo Register of Fruit and Nut Varieties

*Tyson  The tree is the most nearly perfect of that of any pear grown in America--the Kieffer, praiseworthy only in its tree, not excepted. The tree is certainly as hardy as that of any other variety, if not hardier, and resists better than that of any other sort the black scourge of blight. Add to these notable characters large size, great vigor, and fruitfulness, and it is seen that the trees are nearly flawless. The only fault is, and this is a comparatively trifling one, that the trees are slow in coming in bearing. Tyson is the best pear of its season for the home orchard, and has much merit for commercial orchards. Were the fruits larger, it would rival Bartlett for the markets. No other variety offers so many good starting points for the pear-breeder.

Tyson originated as a wilding found about 1794 in a hedge on the land of Jonathan Tyson, Jenkintown, Penn. The tree first bore fruit in 1800. The pears proved to be so good that Mr. Tyson distributed cions among his neighbors, but the variety was not generally disseminated. About 1837, a Doctor Mease of Philadelphia sent cions to B. V. French, Braintree, near Boston, who in turn distributed them among his friends. The variety fruited here about 1842, and the fruit was exhibited before the Massachusetts Horticultural Society under the name Tyson. In 1848, at the National Convention of Fruit Growers, Tyson was recommended for general cultivation, and since that date the name has appeared continuously in the catalog of the American Pomological Society.

Tree very large, vigorous, upright-spreading, tall, dense-topped, hardy, productive; trunk very stocky, rough; branches thick, dull reddish-brown, overspread with gray scarf-skin, with few lenticels; branchlets slender, short, light brown mingled with green, smooth, glabrous, sprinkled with few small, inconspicuous lenticels. Leaf-buds small, short, conical, pointed, plump, appressed or free. Leaves 22, in. long, ill in. wide, thin; apex abruptl pointed; margin finely and shallowly serrate; petiole 5, in. long. Flower-buds small, short, conical, pointed, plump, free, singly on short spurs; flowers medium in season of bloom. Fruit matures in late August; medium in size, 2 .1 in. long, 1 in. wide, roundish-acute-pyriform, with unequal sides; stem 13 in. long, curved; cavity very shallow, obtuse, round, usually drawing up as a lip about the base of the stem; calyx open, small, lobes separated at the base, short, narrow, acute; basin shallow, narrow, flaring, slightly furrowed, compressed; skin tough, smooth, slightly russeted, dull; color deep yellow, usually blushed; dots numerous, very small, obscure; flesh tinged with yellow, granular around the basin, otherwise rather fine-grained, tender and melting, very juicy, sweet, aromatic; quality very good. Core small, closed, with clasping core-lines; calyx-tube, short, wide, conical, seeds medium in size and width, plump, acute. The flesh is melting and Juicy, with a spicy, scented sweetness that gives the fruit the charm of individuality. -- U.P. Hedrick, The Pears of New York, 1921. Graft compatible on quince 

*Tse Li (Tsú Li) (PI 312509).--Grown in Shantung Province, Northern China for thousands of years. Fruit: large, 75 mm diam., 89 mm long, ovate-pyriform with no distinct neck, irregular, lumpy; yellow with large prominent tan lenticels; crisp, juicy, sweet, trace of tartness, distinct aroma; ripe mid-late September in Oregon, 4 weeks after Nijisseiki; stores 25 weeks at 0 C. Tree: large, upright, very early bloom, requires early blooming pollinator such as Ya Li. Cold hardy yet low chilling requirement, about 350-500 hours. -- Brooks and Olmo Registe of Fruit and Nut Varieties.

Description: This plant can be found in northern and northeastern China, eastern Siberia, Manchuria, Korea, Amurland, and Ussuri. It is an old and famous cultivar in Shantung Province of Northeastern China. In the United States, Tse Li receives much attention due to its tendency to be resistant to fire-blight. However, because of its slow growth rate the USDA discouraged its use. The tree is large, vigorous, dense, and moderately productive. The fruit varies in size and shape. It can be found as ovate-pyriform in longitudinal section and circular to angular in transverse section. The tree is self-incompatible and self-unfruitful in most years. It requires cross-pollination for commercial fruit-set, and Ya Li pollen appears to serve this purpose best.

*Pai Li originated from Honan, China. The fruits are large, pyriform, and greenish yellow. The flesh is granular, juicy, with a fair quality. The trees are vigorous. In Chico, California, Pai Li season begins early in August. -- Pu Fu Shen. 1989.

Pai Li is probably the most popular pear among the Chinese in north China, and is it is also very highly regarded by all foreigners. The sweet flavor of this variety especially appeals to the Chinese, and it must also be added that most Chinese do not care for the tart and sub-acid fruits which we regard so highly in this country... The Pai Li is medium in size, usually 1.5 to 2 inches, although occasionally 2.5 inches in diameter. It is roundish or slightly oblate in shape. The color is a light lemon yellow, with many small inconspicuous cinnamon dots; and the skin is smooth, shiny and quite thin. The calyx is deciduous in about 80% of the fruits and persistent or partly so, in the remainder. At picking time, the flesh is firm, but becomes mellow, tender and is juicy whent ready to eat. No grit cells are noticeable except around the core as in the European pears. The flavor is sweet and very agreeable. In quality, it compares very well with the better European pears. It is an excellent keeper and can be obtained on the Peking market from October to the first of March.

In north China this is often known as the 'Peking Pear' as it is very papular at Peking and many other markets obtain their supply there. It is also extensively grown in the neighborhood of that city. This should prove a valuable pear for home use in local markets in America. It should also prove of value in breeding work, as it is of excellent quality and a splendid keeper, an possibly also in breeding blight resistant varieties as it appears to be a hybrid with P. ussuriensis as one of its parents. -- F.C. Reimer. 1919. Report of a trip to the Orient to collect and study Oriental pears.

Ya Li ( “Duck Pear”) (PI 506362).--Orig. unknown. Old cultivar from Northeast China. Fruit: large, 70 mm diam., 82 mm long, globular-pyriform, neck may be obscure; light green to yellow, clean, waxy, small lenticels, free of russet; white flesh is crisp, juicy, sweet, fragrant; stem curved, often fleshy and off-center; ripe mid-late September in Oregon; stores 24 weeks. Tree: large, upright, vigorous, very early bloom, requires early pollinator. Cold hardy yet low chilling requirement, about 350-500 hours. - Brooks and Olmo Register of Fruit and Nut Varieties.

Ya Li is commonly cultivated in Shansi, Hopeh, Shantung, and Honan Provinces of Northeastern China. The tree is large, vigorous, spreading, dense, and productive. The bark is smooth with dark, greenish-brown under-color overlaid with thin, shedding, grayish-white cork tissue. Petioles of young leaves may have one or more needle-like stipules on ventral side near the base of the blade that slough off as the leaves age. Ya Li cultivar is self-incompatible and self-unfruitful in most years. It requires cross-pollination to yield fruits at commercial magnitude. Such cross-pollination can be accomplished with Twentieth Century, Kikusui, Chojuro, Bartlett, Shinseiki, or Tsu Li to yield good fruit-sets.

Keep in mind that there are these recently released pears, available from a very few nurseries so far: 

Not available from Corvallis  SHENANDOAH is the third fire blight-resistant pear developed by Agricultural Research Service horticulturist, Richard Bell. This variety has recently been released. The luscious new pear will appeal to consumers who enjoy rich-tasting fruit, because its higher-than-average acidity gives it a snappy flavor. Shenandoah's relatively high acidity is balanced with a high level of sugars that makes it sweet. Sweet and juicy, Shenandoah pear boasts an appealing taste and texture, stores well--if properly chilled--for about four months. Shenandoah matures in September, about four weeks after the widely grown Bartlett variety.

Not available from Corvallis BLAKE'S PRIDE PEAR is a new pear variety that offers great taste and fireblight resistance. Dr. Richard Bell, horticulturist at the ARS Appalachian Fruit Research Station in Kearneysville, WV, evaluated Blake's Pride. According to Bell, Blake's Pride has two distinct advantages that should help it gain favor in the market. First, it has an aromatic, rich flavor and a juicy flesh texture that appeals to consumers. Second, it has a high degree of resistance to fireblight.  Blake's Pride is moderate in size, averaging almost 3 inches in diameter, with a short, upright stem. The skin color is yellow to light golden, with a glossy finish and a smooth, light tan russet that covers about 25% of the fruit surface. It harvests about three weeks after Bartlett and can store in air storage for at least three months without core breakdown.  Moderate in vigor and upright-spreading. Yield is moderate to high, with the first crop three to four years after planting.

POTOMAC was released by USDA as a pear variety in 1993. It is a hybrid derived from the Moonglow and Anjou cross. It is the highest quality fireblight resistant variety available. The skin is light green and glossy, and the flesh is moderately fine with a flavor similar to the Anjou pear. It is a small, sweet pear with fine, buttery flesh. It has a subacid flavor with a mild aroma. The tree is moderately vigorous and is the highest quality fireblight resistant variety available. Ripens two weeks after Bartlett; keeps 8-10 weeks in refrigerated storage.  Hardy in Zones 5-8.   I'm suspicious that Potomac may be a slow and light cropper.  Why else is there no discussion from happy or unhappy growers?  Even the nurseries have failed to add their own comments, and by now they should have fruit to sample. 

Bartlett, low chill from S. Africa Discovered as a sport of Williams Bon Chretien in an orchard in the western Cape Region of South Africa. Possibly near the Ceres growing region. Lower chilling requirement and earlier ripening than standard Bartlett. Also known as Early Bon Chretien or EBC in South Africa. -- Taaibos Human, personal communication at 9th International Pear Symposium, Stellenbosch, South Africa, February, 2004.         High quality medium sized pear imported from South Africa's Pear Research Station to Texas by Herb Durant (local blueberry hybridizer) in early 1980s. Lower chill (about 550 - 600 hours) than standard Bartlett and less blight sensitive for humid climates. Bears well in Houston where standard Bartlett fails.

Blakely’s Bartlett  Found in Mansfield, Louisiana by a Dr. Strong (now deceased) who was a well-known fruit collector. Large, good quality and seems to be about 300 - 350 chill hours. Very productive. Grows well with comice interstem - does not grow at all if grafted onTurnbull so may not do well if grafted directly on calleryana or Asian rootstock.

Good Christian  Fruit resembles Kieffer in size and form but develops a deep yellow or orange color. Some surface blemish but rather attractive. Flesh fairly fine, some grit at the center, tender but not buttery, juicy. Mild, pleasing flavor with little of the oriental taste and aroma. Superior to Kieffer in both appearance and dessert quality as grown in Southern Oregon. Tree moderately vigorous, productive, fairly resistant to blight. -- H. Hartman, 1957.

 

Hebe   Raised by William Sumner of Pomaria, South Carolina. Fruit large; specimens have often weighed 28 ounces, 6 of fair size of this pear generally weigh 8 lbs., globular, obovate with irregular protuberences, lemon-yellow inclined to greenish, dotted with russet specks and blotches; flesh melting, sprightly, buttery, slightly vinous, has no matured seeds, and seldom forms seeds at all; December in South Carolina. -- U.P. Hedrick 1921.     Tree thrifty, thorny, hardy, productive, persistant foliage.

Collected by F.C. Reimer in China in 1917.

 

'Henderson' is a contribution of Mr. Hartwell Cook of Hattiesburg, Mississippi. He found it in his area. It very closely resembles Housi but is larger and seems to have a thicker skin. It is of good quality. E. Natelson, March 14, 1999. Could thisbe the same as 'Henderson Special' an open pollinated seedling of Bartlett which was introduced by E.M. Henderson, Henderson's Nursery, Athens Texas, in 1927? See Brooks & Olmo Register of Fruit and Nut Varieties.  ( I have this from Chris Inhulsen as "Hartwell Special")

Hung Li means Red Pear. This term, of course, is very indefinite when applied to Chinese varieties of pears. In fact, there are a score of Chinese pears which are known by this name. The writer obtained scionwood of a least three varieties or strains all known as Hung Li. Any pear which possesses a red cheek may pass under the name Hung Li. The term, therefore, is so infefinite that one does not know what variety or type is being obtained unless one actually sees the trees and the fruit on the tree.            The most common type of Hung Li produces fruit of medium size, roundish in shape, with a yellow background and a red cheek on the sunny side, and a shiny skin. The calyx is deciduous. The flesh is hard, possesses a sub-acid flavor, and is not of very high quality. It is a remarkable keeper, and the fruit under favorable conditions will shrivel and dry up and seldom rot. The tree is a vigorous grower. The botany of this variety, in fact almost the entire group has been a puzzle. A careful study leads me to the conclusion that this is a hybrid group with P. ussuriensis as one of the parents.            One very interesting and apparently very valuable variety was obtained near Malanyu under the name Hung Li. I did not see the fruit on this tree as it had all been picked and shipped when I visited the orchard. The leaves show the typical margins of P. ussuriensis, although the shape of the leaf is somewhat different. The young trees in the nursery are very vigorous growers. This variety has proved a perfect marvel in its ability to resist pear blight. Repeated inoculations on various dates and the virulent cultures have failed entirely in most instances. In some cases these were successful in the very tender and very vigorous growing tips and would blight down for a distance of two or three inches and then stop. No other cultivated variety so far tested in our entire collection has proved as resistant as this one. A splendid stand was also obtained in grafting this variety. Every effort is now being made to force this variety into early bearing, and we shall study with great interest the character of the fruit.  -F.C. Reimer. 1919. Report of trip to the Orient to collect and study Oriental pears

 

Leona:  Originated in Converse, Louisiana about 1930. Legend has it that this was an unclaimed, mail order tree planted by a postal worker and named for his wife. It has been widely propagated in Louisiana and Texas and we all agree that it is a very sweet, high quality, dessert pear. The large, apple shaped fruit has a distinct 'shoulder'. It takes a few years to come into full bearing on calleryana. Probably about 400 - 450 chill units.

 

Lucy Duke:  Grown from a seed of Bartlett by Mrs. Lucy Duke, Beaufort County, North Carolina, about 1880. Second parent believed to be Winter Nelis. Fruit medium in size, acute-pyriform, sometines oblong-pyriform. Skin fairly tough, greenish-yellow in color, overspread with dark russet, not overly attractive. Flesh fine, melting, very juicy. Sweet spicy flavor, aromatic, rates fairly high in dessert quality. Early Midseason. tree medium in size, moderately vigorous, irregular in production. Quite susceptible to fire blight. -- H. Hartman 1957.          Why Lucy Duke is neglected is hard to see. The pear has a rich, juicy, spicy, melting flesh that makes it one of the best. In form, the fruits resemble those of Bartlett, which is probably one of the parents; they are but medium in size, but are of a beautiful golden russet color, which makes them as handsome as the handsomest. The skin is thick and the pears stand shipping well. The variety can be recommended for home and local markets, but the trees are unproductive and too irregular in bearing for commercial orchards. The tree is hardy, but only moderately vigorous, and resembles Winter Nelis, supposed to be the other parent, in habit of growth. The variety is relatively free from blight.

I can't find anything about it still existing in the Carolinas, so it's probably not blight resistant and has only survived in collections outside blighty areas. 

Missouri #83  Originated  Missouri Agricultural Experiment Station. Fruit size medium; shape acute, obovate, pyriform. Skin greenish-yellow with some russet, brown-red blush, rough with prominent dots. Flesh yellow, medium fine, tender, juicy, subacid; stone cells confined largely to core region. Flavor fair to good. Harvest date third week of Oct in Wooster, Ohio. Unattractive. -- F.S. Howlett. 1957. Preliminary evaluation of new and uncommon pear varieties. Ohio Ag. Expt Station Bulletin 790  Another one I considered but didn't order

Monterrey (PI 541903). -Originated in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. Introduced in 1952 by Aldridge Nursery, Von Ormy, Texas. Chance seedling, probably a hybrid of 'Pineapple' with a European pear (Pyrus communis); discovered about 1947. Fruit: quitelarge; round to pyriform; large calyx giving a distinctive appearance; skin yellow; flesh soft, nearly free of grit cells, quality very good for fresh market and canning; ripens in late August at Von Ormy. Tree: resembles pineapple. - Brooks and OlmoRegister of Fruit and Nut Varieties  

Sodak (PI 541727).-Originated in Brookings, SOUTH DAKOTA, by N.E. Hansen, South Dakota Agriculture Experiment Station. Introduced in 1945. Pyrus ussuriensis Maxim. x Marguerite Marillat. Fruit: 2 x 2-1 / 2 inches; oblong-obovate-pyriform; flesh white, very juicy, melting, buttery. Tree: vigorous; probably obsolete. - Brooks and Olmo Register of Fruit and Nut Varieties   I didn't order this one, but northerners may be interested. 

 

Southern Bartlett sport found in Abbeville, Louisiana about 1969. Very productive and disease resistant there and in other sites. Clearly low chill but not fully evaluated in south Texas to determine how low. It does grow fairly well directly on calleryana bu t seems more vigorous with a comice interstem.

 

Early Harvest Originated in Maryland and brought to Middletown, Kentucky by Captain William Chambers in 1800. Added to APS catalog list in 1875. Fruit fairly large in size, obovate-obtuse-pyriform, regular and symmetrical. Skin smooth, greenish-yellow in color, often blushed or striped with dull red. Flesh generally firm, crisp, granular, moderately juicy. Lacking in desirable flavor and texture characteristics. Early in season. Tree vigorous, upright-spreading in habit, dark green, abundant foliage, fairl productive. Fairly resistant to fire blight. -- H. Hartman 1957.      Originally the fruit was named 'Chambers.' The name 'Early Harvest' was given to the cultivar by Kentucky growers. – Anonymous

I may have found a local tree of this one.  The owner said come back June 15 if I want to pick some fruit.  That's EARLY.  Obviously gets blight pretty bad, but tree is at least 60 yrs old. 

 

Pineapple  Brief description in Proceedings of APS, 1922. Fruit of no consequence. Tree highly resistant to blight but somewhat susceptible to winter injury in southern Oregon. -- H. Hartman 1957.      Georgia Expt Station received scions of this pear in 1910 from a very large tree growing on the plantation of Mrs. B.N. Stuckey, near Nesmith, South Carolina..  highly resistant, almost to the extent of immunity, to pear blight. The trees... have been subjected to the most rigid trials for infection to fire blight. Its botanical characteristics indicate that it is a hybrid between P. serotina and P. communis. Mr. George D. Lowe, investigating this subject, says in part, 'In the winter of 1888, Dr. C.C. Daniel, drove up to the gate of the John W. DeLoach plantation, some 40 miles south of the LeConte place, and now in Long county, Georgia. He handed Mr. DeLoach a pear switch with the remark that he had cut it from the finest pear tree he had ever seen in his life down on the island (near Brunswick, Georgia) advising Mr. DeLoach to set it immediately, which he did. It was placed in a small orchard of blighting Le Contes and Kieffers and grew off rapidly, as the pear always does in south Georgia... It appears that the original Pineapple pear was given to a planter in S.C. by a relative who was an officer in Commodore Perry's fleet which visited China and Japan in the middle fifties, and brought the rooted pear from China when he returned. The tree now stands still vigorous and in bearing, nine feet in circumference just above the ground and with a tremendous spread of limbs... a few trees of this pear... have been located in widely scattered places in South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida and Mississippi... This pear cannot be classed as a dessert pear. In quality of fruit it would be classed along with the Le Conte and Garber. It is perceptibly better than the Kieffer, though it could not be considered along with such varieties as the Seckel or Bartlett. Canneries report that it brings a premium above the Kieffer when canned and is in great demand by those who consume canned pears. -- H.P. Stuckey, Proceedings of the American Pomological Society, 1922.

Corvallis has removed this tree after I pointed out that their photos did not match their historic painting.  However, I have access to trees grafted from trees planted in 1903, the fruit is a dead ringer for the historic painting.  Ripe midseason, apple shaped green to yellow fruit, tart and sweet, crunchy and juicy.  Asian texture but sprightly.  Makes terrific "apple" pies when the green fruit first begin falling. 

 

'Pope' has taken a long journey. My scions came from Mr. Nick Botner of Yoncalla, OR. He claims his material came from George Washington's home at Mt. Vernon and that this is an heirloom pear. Perhaps you have it under a French or Italian name, but Mr. Botner claims it has always been know as 'Pope'. -- Ethan Natelson, March 23,1999.        Ragan (Nomenclature of the Pear, 1908) lists 'Pope' as a synonym for 'Bonners'. He also distinguishes it from 'Pope's Quaker', 'Pope's Russet' and 'Pope's Scarlet Major' which are distinct cultivars. Hedrick (Pears of New York) does not list 'Pope' in the index, but in his description of 'Bonners' that follows he lists 'Pope' as a synonym: 'Originated in Hancock County, Ga., and was known in 1869 in Washington County of that state, as the Pope pear. Fruit has a peculiar almond flavor; very good; Sept.' Hedrick cites the American Pomological Society Reports from 1869 and 1873 and he uses an accent mark over the 'e' in 'Pope'. -- J. Postman, Apri 16,1999. (photo, has leaf spot)